1. Field of the Invention
The invention claimed in this application relates to devices for locking the movement of a movable assembly and more particularly to locking devices for locking a movable assembly for an exercise machine.
2. Description of Related Art
Exercise machines, such as cardiovascular exercise machines, generally have a plurality of different movable assemblies. These moveable assemblies can include right and left handle bars and/or right and left leg assemblies that when actuated by the hands or feet provide a form of resistance. This resistance to the movement can provide both a resistance type of strength training as well as cardiovascular training for promoting cardiovascular health.
These exercise systems may include recumbent exercise systems, elliptical exercise systems, or any other type of exercise system that involves the movement of a moveable assembly. Elliptical exercise systems require that the moveable assemblies have pre-defined path or paths and distance of travel, wherein the moveable assembly must be moved in a certain way and certain distance so as to complete the predefined elliptical path. Recumbent steppers are generally more advanced in that they allow movement of the moveable assembly along a pre-defined path, but the distance travelled along the path may vary. For example, in a recumbent system, the user of the recumbent system can push or pull the handle bars and/or pedals a small distance if he or she chooses to do so. This can be advantageous when the user of the recumbent system has limited ability to move the moveable assemblies.
No matter what type of exercise system is utilized, there may be situations that require the use of locking the moveable assemblies in place. For example, it may be advisable to lock the moveable assemblies when the user of the exercise machine is either mounting or dismounting the exercise machine. By so doing, this can prevent potential of injury wherein the user of the exercise machine places an inappropriate amount of weight on one of the moveable assemblies and the moveable assembly moves because it is not locked, causing surprise and possible injury to the user.
Prior art locking systems generally include a pin locking system. In this type of system, a pin is inserted into a hole or recess. The insertion of this pin is such that the pin physically prevents the movement of the moveable assembly. The pin may be placed through the moveable assembly or through a brake mechanism that is in mechanical communication with the moveable assembly. While the system is effective, the number of positions available to lock the moveable assemblies is limited in that there must be a pre-defined hole recess for the pin to be inserted through. Additionally, these systems do not allow movement of the moveable assemblies even when a significant amount of force is applied to these moveable assemblies. This can be problematic in that the moveable assembly will be damaged if too much force is applied to the moveable assembly when the pin is placed in the hole or recess.